BRIGHTON & HOVE:
ROUND THE COUNCILS SOMERSET:
NEW LICENSING POLICY FINALLY AGREED
Some fees charged to PH and taxi operators are expected to quadruple next year. Members of Brighton and Hove
City Council’s Licensing
Committee quizzed officials about the prospect of significant increases in some fees for 2024-25. These include a 75% increase in the knowledge test fee and a route test fee that could almost double. Changes in administration and inflation have fuelled the increase, councillors were told at a committee meeting on Thursday 12 October. A PHV licence is expected to double from £75 to £150 – and small PH operators face a rise of more than 300% in their licence fees from £167 to £700. Larger PH companies, with three or more cars, face fees going up by 17.6% from £595 also to £700. Vehicle transfer fees for HCs could more than quad- ruple from £52 to £220, a 323% increase. Vehicle transfer fees for PHVs could almost treble from £52 to £150. The council’s regulatory services manager, Jim Whitelegg, told councillors that the current fees did not cover the cost of administering the service as costs had gone up and council tax payers had been subsidising the process. Mr Whitelegg told the committee: “The need to increase some licensing fees by more than 6% is driven by the increased officer time required to administer licences and additional checks required. “We do have a duty to ensure our costs are recovered and to avoid surpluses and deficits.” Green Cllr Kerry Pickett asked why some of the charges were increasing by such large percentages. Mr Whitelegg said that fees had been “artificially low” for years and, with the increases, would still be lower than neighbouring councils. He said that the proposed £220 a year PHV licence worked out at £2.88 a week while the charges for the knowledge test and route test did not recoup the costs of running them. Conservative Cllr Carol Theobald asked why the vehicle transfer fees were increasing. Mr Whitelegg said that the amount of time to process transfers was the same as for a new application and would be “more realistic”. Green group convenor Cllr Steve Davis asked if the increases had gone before the trade through the Taxi Forum. Mr Whitelegg said that the figures had been “circulated” to the trade after the most recent forum meeting to allow for feedback.
42 FARE HARMONISATION PROPOSAL
Taxi fares could soon be on the rise as the new unitary Somerset Council seeks to harmonise the cost of journeys across the county. The maximum fares were previously separately set by Somerset’s four district councils, resulting in substantial variations. Now, the unitary authority which replaced the district councils in April, has published proposals to harmonise fares, allowing them to be adjusted across the county at the same time and reduce red tape for drivers. But in many cases it will mean passengers facing higher fares, as officers admitted they were ‘tending to go up rather than down’ when trying to bring the former districts into line. A breakdown of the new fares was published before a meeting of the council’s licensing and regulatory committee held in Taunton. Under the proposals, the first mile will be £4.60 and 30p for every one-tenth of a mile or part thereafter. This means a regular two-mile journey would cost £7.60 – the same as is currently charged in the former South Somerset area, but higher than in Somerset West and Taunton (£6.80),Sedgemoor (£6.80), and Mendip (£7.10). Passengers will be charged a further £1 for every two minutes they are left waiting in traffic. Drivers can charge a 50 per cent premium on fares on Sundays or weekdays between 11 pm and 7 am, and double the price on bank holidays, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve between 6 pm and midnight. Drivers can also charge £2 extra per passenger for more than four passengers; £100 soiling charge and tolls or CAZ charges as required. Council licensing manager John Rendell said: “I suspect there will be objections. We know some licence holders, particularly those in the Taunton area, are not fully on board with the proposals just yet.” West Somerset Cllr Marcus Kravis, questioned whether higher fares would lead to fewer passengers and asked how often the new fares would need to be reviewed.
Mr Rendell said: “The intention at the moment is that we will periodically review the maximum fares that we set, just to make sure they are at the right level.” The council’s executive committee is expected to formally adopt the new charges when it meets in early November, and will set a date for when the new charges will come into effect.
NOVEMBER 2023 PHTM
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